STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Yet another Staten Island local has earned high distinction for his scrupulous business ethics.

For the efficient, competent and dependable way in which he serves the community of Brooklyn, Butch Mormando, proprietor of Butch's Hand Car Wash & Auto Detailing, was presented with the Best of the Boro Award from a local Brooklyn publication.

Mormando, a Grymes Hill resident who is involved in a number of charitable endeavors and supported local organizations, explains that his establishment has served residents of the borough for some 40 years — and reveals that it was through an online contest in which individuals were asked to vote for their favorite car wash that he garnered the high compliment.

To backtrack for a bit, Mormando recounts that the car wash opened its doors in 1973 as an exterior car wash with self-serve vacuums and in the year 1979 he became the first business entrepreneur in New York to convert from automated plastic brushes to chamois cloths.

"He heard that there was a new invention in the car wash industry that was being tested in Detroit, a brushless technique," explains his wife, Linda Mormando, before going on to explain that he flew there to test it and immediately purchased the equipment.

Fast-forward to the year 1999, when Mormando opted to convert to the ultimate auto-pampering hand wash, which depends on a trained staff, non-abrasive soaps and polishes and high-pressure water method of cleaning automobiles' interiors and exteriors. The car wash is at 6702 New Utrecht Ave.

Also he employs the use of state of the art equipment for auto detailing and old-fashioned manpower and superior products.

FAMILY FUNDRAISER

Patricia Kessler contacted this column to spread awareness about a benefit planned for Friday evening at the Drumgoole Knights of Columbus at Historic Richmond Town for a 2-month old and his family.

Young Saul was born on July 2 to Melissa and Seth Polonsky and diagnosed with severe combined immunodeficiency, aka bubble boy syndrome, just two weeks after his birth, and New York is one of only 15 states that does mandatory screenings for SCID. In fact, this type of diagnosis wouldn't ordinarily surface until after 6 months of age. The only treatment is a bone marrow transplant.

According to Saul's doctors, there are only about 5,000 known cases at the present time and what makes this even more difficult for the family is that Seth was diagnosed with MS a few years ago and is currently battling a bad episode and being treated at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

According to the surgeons there, he's in need of a bone marrow transplant — and what makes his case unique is he has one strand of active T cells and needs chemotherapy to kill that active strand.

The negative side is they had to push back the actual date of surgery because the amount of therapy needed has yet to be determined — and unknown, long-term side effects will surface down the road. However, the family did find a bone marrow donor that's a 90 percent match.

Friday's fundraiser is being made possible by generous local business owners and will include a Chinese auction and a 50/50.

The entrance fee is $25 per person, with children under 10 admitted free of charge. Dinner, dessert, and beverages will be served.

For additional information, call Patricia Kessler at 917-656-0487 or 718-356-6339.

This past summer, Isabelle's dad, Peter A. Fiduccia, passed away from esophageal cancer; he had been treated at Sloan-Kettering for nearly three years.

The fundraiser will be staged at the Get in Gear Cycling Studio, 513 Jewett Ave., Westerleigh, from 12:30 to 3:15pm. There will be two hour-long spin classes to raise funds for esophageal cancer research.

Telephone Isabelle at 347-623-4568 for additional information.

McKEE ALUMS

McKee Alumni and Friends Association will be "Dancing Through the Decades" come Saturday, Oct. 5, beginning at 8 p.m. at the Historic Old Bermuda Inn, Rossville.

The dinner dance will feature entertainment by The Generation Gap.

Guests can dance the night away to tunes from the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s with contemporary tunes also on tap. All are invited to what promises to be a fun night.

Tickets are $85 per person, all-inclusive.

The Historic Old Bermuda Inn is located at 2512 Arthur Kill Rd., Rossville.

Proceeds from all alumni events are directed to McKee High School for student programs.

The group is proud to have donated more than $35,000 to the school in recent years.

NEW APPOINTMENT

The good news is that Joe Daly has just been appointed Director of Private Events For Framboise Caterers. "I was thrilled to accept," says Joe, before noting he has been with Framboise Caterers for nearly 20 years and has worked as a manager at a number of Olympic events, including those in Beijing and Vancouver!